(Trigger warning – references to rape and sexual violence throughout.) Madeleine Gavin’s City of Joy provides a sensitive insight into the plight of Congolese women today, without reducing their stories to the usual, easy-to-sell emotional porn. Having achieved what countless others before her have (unsuccessfully) tried to do, I have no doubt that City of Joy is…

There are some mistakes that first time, low budget filmmakers seem prone to making. The Story of a Satellite could actually be conveyed as a spoof film parodying those issues, were it not so clearly genuine. Welcome to Film School 101.

Clare Clarke Pick of the Festival: Hortensia Choosing a highlight for me from this Raindance festival was difficult because most of the films I saw were incredibly well made and all very different. However, there was something particularly special about Hortensia. The film was quirky and wildly funny, in a way that has kept me chuckling…

News from Planet Mars is an uplifting, bracingly absurd take on the everyday struggles of a middle-aged father. With adept performances, visual nous and a funny script with plenty of bite, Dominik Moll’s fifth feature was a fine way to conclude this year’s Raindance festival. Philippe Mars (François Damiens) is a divorced 49 year-old Parisian…

A one-hour session to view the latest in cutting edge film technological was simply not enough time to enjoy the features that Raindance had on offer at the VR Arcade. I really had no idea what I was going to be walking into, but the Hospital Club was certainly dressed up as some sort of…

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